The present invention relates in general to a method for the production of frozen, composite food products.
The term xe2x80x9ccomposite food productsxe2x80x9d is intended to define herein food products comprising two or more components in the same product, that is, products produced by the xe2x80x9ccombinationxe2x80x9d of several components which, although structurally and/or physically non-homogeneous, are compatible from an organoleptic point of view, for example, pre-cooked pasta or rice and the respective seasoning/sauce, vegetables in general and batter, fish and batter, fish and flour, and similar culinary xe2x80x9cdishesxe2x80x9d.
In the specific case of frozen composite food products, in order to operate on an industrial scale, it is necessary, in order to form the final product, for the said xe2x80x9ccombinationxe2x80x9d of two or more pre-selected components to take place after at least the main component has been frozen.
Thus, for example, in the case of pre-cooked pasta seasoned with a pre-selected sauce, the pre-cooked paster is normally frozen and the individual pieces of pasta are then (ideally) sprinkled with the pre-selected seasoning (sauce) which thus simultaneously freezes thereon.
An ideal sauce/pasta combination is quite difficult to achieve since it is greatly hindered by the objective difficulty of breaking up the mass of pre-cooked and frozen products (the pasta) and by the rate at which the sprinkled component (the sauce) freezes in contact with the products.
The techniques used up to now for achieving the aforementioned object are based fundamentally on an operation known in Italian as xe2x80x9cbassinaturaxe2x80x9d, in which continuous mixing of the frozen products is associated with rolling of the products in the surface or upper layers on those of the underlying layers.
Although these techniques are widely used and, in some cases, are even satisfactory, they do not generally enable the sprinkled component to be distributed uniformly on the frozen component, above all, because of the substantial failure to break it up. In many cases, undesired lumps of product are even formed, because of the chemico-physical characteristics of the sprinkled component and because of its spontaneous freezing onto the frozen component.
A further problem of the prior art is connected with the structural and functional complexity of the apparatus used to produce the composite food products in question, its poor reliability in operation, and also the need to use skilled operators for constantly monitoring its operation.
The problem upon which the present invention is based is that of providing a method of producing frozen composite food products which can overcome the problems mentioned with reference to the prior art.
This problem is solved, according to the invention, by a method for the continuous production of a frozen composite food product including at least two components, characterized in that it comprises the steps of:
advancing a continuous flow of loose pieces of a first, frozen component of the composite product along a mixing tank towards an output end thereof, and
simultaneously tossing the pieces of the frozen component which then fall back into the tank, the pieces being in a dispersed condition during the tossing and falling step,
spreading on the pieces of frozen component a continuous flow of at least one second component of the composite food product, the second component freezing upon contact with the individual pieces of the frozen first component.
Advantageously, in order to ensure a more uniform distribution of the second component on the individual pieces of the first component of the composite food product in question, the predetermined dose per hour of the second component 1s supplied in two or more independent flows and in two or more successive different positions in the mixing tank.
Moreover, should it be necessary to increase the xe2x80x9cspeedxe2x80x9d of freezing of the second component, one or more successive sprinklings of a refrigerant fluid of the type conventionally used in the food industry (for example, liquid nitrogen or powdered dry ice) may be provided along the mixing tank.
The great advantage achieved by the present invention (the certain and uniform combination of two or more components of the composite food product to be produced) is due, above all, to the fact that, during the tossing and falling step, the pieces of the frozen component are definitely separated and are therefore in a better condition to contact the other components uniformly over their entire surfaces.
The invention also relates to apparatus for implementing the method. The characteristics of this apparatus are set forth in the appended claims relating thereto.
The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the description of an embodiment of the method of the invention, given with reference to the appended drawings of apparatus according to the invention, the drawings being provided purely by way of non-limiting examples.